Lord of the Fleas
by Seanchai15
Summary: Finally, after what seems like years, I give you chapter 9! Following a plane crash, a certain manager decides to show off his dictatorship skills... or lack therof.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: They belong to Wes Craven, and the general elements of a "trapped on an island" story belong to a ton of different people, and this wouldn't exist without them.

I know it's slightly OOC, but it's a comedy piece, so I feel a little exaggeration is okay

Here is why you never watch Red Eye while reading Lord of the Flies…

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Among people afraid of flying, there is an illogical belief that if one just focuses on keeping the plane in the air, it will stay that way and nothing bad will happen. People like this rarely let themselves sleep on a plane, or watch a movie or read, because they need to just make sure that plane stays up. Lisa Reisert usually dismissed this train of thought, feeling that it was better to distract herself and read, but was now questioning whether those paranoid people had a point.

She had already been reeling from the shock of her handsome new acquaintance revealing his intentions towards her father, and then the jolt of the plane had completely set off a panic reaction in her brain. There was no way that was just turbulence. Within seconds the plane was losing altitude, and a horrible realization sunk in. _I'm going to die in a plane crash on a routine flight. And I'm going to be stuck next to this creep for all eternity. _Despite her current feelings about Jackson Rippner, she gripped his hand tightly, needing something to channel her terror into. He flinched, but squeezed back, making her wonder if he was as terrified as she was. There was a deafening roar, and then her whole world went black.

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Joe Reisert watched in horror as the newscaster solemnly reported how flight 1019 had crashed in the Gulf of Mexico between Dallas and Miami. There were no known survivors, but the wreckage had not been found, so there was some hope for the people on the plane. He immediately called his ex-wife, hoping against hope that Lisa had decided at the last minute to stay in Dallas, but she assured him that Lisa had boarded that plane. Joe sank into his armchair and tried to process his grief.

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Dick Farwell hung up his phone, then stared at it in disbelief. Jackson Rippner, assassination manager extraordinaire, was missing and believed dead after a _plane crash_? He'd always assumed his boss would either go down in a hail of bullets or kill himself as the police closed in, but a plane crash was a bit pedestrian. And, even more disappointing, the hit would have to be rescheduled, and the old guy in the house would be of no use, so he'd tailed him for weeks for nothing. Hell, he'd even joined a golf club to get close to the guy. Hours and hours spent in tangerine colored pants whacking the ground with a pole, and now it was all for nothing? He cursed that damn plane, then wondered if maybe he could go get some breakfast now. Pancakes would be good.

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After what felt like hours (but was actually about ten minutes) of swimming, Jackson pulled himself onto the beach, hauling Lisa's unconscious body up next to him. He had no idea what this piece of land was, but it was the closest bit of solid ground, so most of the survivors had made their way to it. Except one guy, who'd swam off yelling something about swimming back to Texas, but Jackson doubted he would make it. In fact, he doubted that guy could do pretty much anything, but he might have just been going crazy with the stress. _Ah, well. He probably wouldn't have been much use to us anyway- we only want useful people here. Young, strong, intelligent…how the hell did the fat old lady get here? I would have pegged her as the _least _likely to be able to swim this far. Well, I hope she can build a fire, or she's getting voted off this island. _His job had conditioned him for dealing with unexpected catastrophes, so Jackson felt that he was quite up to the task of keeping his cool and organizing these people in some productive way. He just needed to get them to listen to him somehow. An idea struck him, and he ran down to the main section of the beach.

There was a sturdy-looking rock that he figured could hold his weight, and Jackson clambered up onto it before whistling as loud as he could. A majority of the people gathered there turned to look at him, and a second whistle got everyone's attention. Everyone looked up at him expectantly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, at this point I'd like to urge you all not to panic." He knew this was technically the flight attendants' job, but as one was running in circles panicking and one was trying to crack a coconut to get flavoring for her coffee, he felt he should take over. "I know this seems bad, but we if we can organize ourselves and find some source of food, we can all survive and be rescued. Does anyone here have any skills that might be at all useful?" Nobody spoke up, and he stared in disbelief. All these people and not a single one was helpful? He pointed to a man he recognized as the angry guy from the ticket line. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a doctor." His smug tone was annoying, but at the moment Jackson was just staring in shock.

"And you didn't think that might be helpful, seeing as we have injured people here? Or were you not listening?" _This is really not a good group to be stuck with. Even our token doctor is dumb as a rock._

"Actually, I was a little busy wondering who died and made you king of the island. Who else thinks we should make this guy shut up, and just find some way to get out of here?" He stormed over to the senior flight attendant, who had abandoned her coconut. "You're supposed to be in charge, you're the employee here." She glared at him, and her coworker cut her off from responding by reminding her that there was a child present. Jackson looked over, and added a babysitting committee to his mental checklist of things to set up. He would be a good dictator, he decided, and was not about to let a bossy man who thought flight attendants were also community organizers stand in his way. He started to assign people tasks, and was quite proud of himself for keeping law and order. He was taking a census when Lisa finally woke up. He was on his way to check on her when the old woman started asking him question after question, and by the time she was done, Lisa had walked up right next to him.

"What do you think you're doing? You have no right to order these people around. You obviously don't even know what we should be taking care of."

"What do you mean?" He was a little put off that she had switched so readily from being his victim to yelling at him, and was annoyed that she was not impressed by his alpha-male status on the island.

"We should be seeing what we can get from the plane, like food and communication equipment, not building semi-permanent lodgings! Do you even want to get back?" He didn't answer her, and simply stalked away, debating how to organize a group to scavenge from the plane without saying that it had been Lisa's idea. _She definitely just earned herself an assigned job of being the girl who sits near my lounge and feeds me grapes or airline peanuts, or whatever we find._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Let's assume from hereon in that they are not mine, so I don't have to keep writing these.

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Jackson spent the afternoon overseeing the construction of their lodgings, and while they weren't exactly the Tiki Lounge, they looked as though they might be inhabitable in a few days. Jackson declared that the largest hut would be his, and only the bossy doctor dared to question this. He was quickly subdued by the blonde woman, who had revealed her name to be Sheila, and always seemed to agree with whatever Jackson said, even if it made no sense.

He had officially named Lisa his personal slave earlier in the day, and her response had indicated that she was not amused by this. She was also not amused by his insistence on her following him around and doing his bidding. _Ah, well- so long as she doesn't get a pointed stick to stab me with, we'll be good. _He was sure she'd come around eventually, as he was the only good-looking man on the island, and biology had to kick in sooner or later. He was in the midst of taking her advice and forming a group to go scavenge from the plane when he heard a scream from further down the beach. There was a person floating relatively far out from the shore, and Jackson took it upon himself to go rescue them. He ran down the beach, pulling his shirt off in the process (much to the cheers of Sheila), and dove into the water to save the helpless one and cement his position as leader. He did manage to pull in what was revealed to be the body of the man who'd tried to swim to Texas, but people seemed to be focusing more on him than the corpse. They were crowding around him, seeing if he was alright, when Lisa ran over.

"What the hell was that for?" She seemed upset as she hurled his shirt at him.

"I was making sure we didn't let one of our own get carried off by the tide, Leese." He could vaguely understand her asking about his motives for other things, but _trying to save someone_? How could she think that had been selfish.

"Not that, the pre-swim striptease. Please, explain to me how that made sense at all. Because if you were worried about getting wet or being dragged down, you would have taken off your pants and shoes too, and leaving the shirt on wouldn't have made a huge difference. So why? Tell me, because I actually am curious about this." He tried to think of a valid answer, but there really wasn't one, so he just told her to go find him some water and stalked off.

The scavengers were able to retrieve the refreshment cart and a few suitcases from the plane, providing packaged snacks, cans of soda, and mini-bottles of alcohol. Jackson claimed he was rationing for everybody, but most of the bottles ended up in his private stash. The group had a dinner of peanuts and pretzels, and two teenaged boys who had been a few rows behind Jackson and Lisa offered to go hunting the next day. He doubted they had any actual experience with this, but they would either return with food or remove themselves from the list of people who needed to be fed, so he told them they could go. Lisa glared at him after this, and he avoided her gaze for the rest of the evening.

They set up blankets and pillows from the plane along the beach for the night, and assigned people shifts to guard the camp against wild animals. Jackson suddenly had an idea to serve his own purposes, and made an announcement to the camp.

"The best way to keep ourselves warm is by sharing body heat, so I suggest we pair off to keep ourselves from freezing." People generally agreed, but Jackson noticed that Lisa paired off with the old lady before he could get to her, and he was stuck with Sheila. He spent the next several hours trying to keep touching between himself and the hideous blonde to a minimum, and was relieved when it was time for his guard shift.

"Any sign of wild animals?" A very nervous-looking man who had been tossing and turning all night had asked this. One of the teenagers replied instantly.

"I didn't _see _anything, but I thought I heard our fearless leader getting mauled by a cougar. Could've just been me though." Jackson slapped the boy, then ordered him to head down the beach and get some sleep. He spent most of the night leaning on a makeshift spear and wondering about what Lisa had asked him earlier in the day. _Do I want to go home? I'm kind of getting used to being in charge here, and it's nice to be hero-worshipped instead of hunted like a dog. In fact, all I need is for Lisa to warm up to me and I could stay here forever. Now there's an idea…_


	3. Chapter 3

Lisa had given up on openly defying Jackson, as it seemed to just make the rest of the camp turn against her. She decided that the best way to help get rescued would be to just keep feeding Jackson ideas that he would than implement and claim as his own. She didn't need glory, just to get home.

Early that morning, Jackson had allowed two teenaged boys to head off into the woods by themselves to go hunting, and dismissed Lisa's objection as a "female-driven, emotion-based" problem. She had resisted the urge to strangle him and simply kept track of the time, deciding that she would send someone after the boys if they weren't back in an hour. She spent most of the morning sorting through their food and rationing, and inspecting the fruit, nuts, and fish that various people had collected as food.

"So, Leese, anybody find anything good? 'Cause I could go for some real food right about now." She smacked his hand away as he went to dig through the piles she'd neatly organized, and considered ending her torment by having him test if things were poison by eating them. _I can't do that, though, or we'll just have a complete breakdown. For some reason, people rely on him. _"You know, in most cultures, one can beat a slave for hitting their master."

"Well than, it's a damn good thing we don't have a culture that allows slavery." She went to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Lisa struggled in his grip as he pulled her close.

"Now, what kind of southern girl are you? I could see you as a full-blown Scarlett O'Hara type, blushing little plantation owner's daughter, but with a bit of spark in you. Actually, it's quite an attractive idea." At this, Lisa wrenched away from him.

"Well, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn what you find attractive. I'm a little more focused on getting home. You may have noticed, but we _are_ stuck on some island in the middle of nowhere."

"It's not too bad. I would say this tops hotel management any day." She looked at him like he'd grown an extra head.

"We have basically no food, no communication, shelter that looks like three year olds built it, and my official title is 'Personal Slave to the Unquestioned Leader.' That sounds _so _much better than having a real job in civilization."

"Well, Leese, there's room for promotion." She turned and cocked her head at him, curious, "I mean, the 'Bride of the Unquestioned Leader' position has yet to be filled. Could mean big changes for you." She glared at him, trying to think of some way to respond. Finally one came to her.

"How exactly would anything change? Does food magically appear in your hut?"

"Well, no. But the others would treat you differently. You may have noticed, but for some reason, they worship me. You could get some of that worship. And once the heir to the island is born-" She cut him off here.

"What?! We are not planning on staying here. Everybody except you wants to go home, so there is no need to be planning for heirs or whatever. We just need to focus on getting back to our old lives." She stormed off after saying this, not wanting to deal with whatever he would say in return. Some part of her brain thought that being queen of the island wouldn't be so bad, but all her logic crushed that thought, and she returned to fiddling with the radio from the plane. She had no idea how any of this worked, but as the only one interested in actually doing something, she was left with the task of establishing communication. The afternoon left her with no progress and a splitting headache.

By the time darkness fell, the shacks were habitable, and Lisa was led to one directly in the center of the camp by the newly formed housing committee. She ducked in, grateful for the chance to rest, and was horrified to find Jackson lying shirtless in the makeshift bed in the center of the room.

"What are you doing here?" She prayed he wouldn't try to do anything to her, as she doubted that anyone in the camp would rescue her from their beloved leader.

"Going to sleep, Leese. This is actually _my_ dwelling, you are just being allowed to stay here as a personal favor. Now come on, this pile of blankets isn't going to warm itself up." She stared, dumbstruck, as he patted the stack of airline pillows beside him.

"Well, thanks for the favor, but I think I'd be better off in my own space." She went to leave, but he jumped up and caught hold of her arm.

"You're not going anywhere. I think we both know that. So come to bed, get some rest, and if you're a good girl, we'll see if anybody knows how to fix your beloved radio." He led her back to the bed, and noticed that she only removed her shoes before lying down. He pulled the blankets over them and slung an arm across her, taking an immense pleasure in her obvious panic at the situation. _She's petrified- not really in a place to be plotting anything, so I can actually get some sleep. _And sleep he did, although he'd been wrong about Lisa being unable to plot in her current state. She had wracked her brain for some way to defy him, and although her plan was not ingenious, it made her feel a little better. So when Jackson awoke the next morning, he found that he could not feel his dominant left arm, due to the circulation being cut off by Lisa, who had planted herself squarely on top of it after he'd fallen asleep. As he swore and shook his arm, she grinned slightly. _Not exactly stopping him, but at least he knows that I'm not going to just submit to him. I hope he has the worst pins and needles of his life._


	4. Chapter 4

Jackson debated how to deal with the issue at hand. His arm was starting to hurt like hell, but 'She made my arm fall asleep' was not exactly a good excuse for a beating. He settled for just kicking her, not hard enough to cause any major damage, but enough to hurt. She yelped and curled in on herself, and he hoped that she wouldn't defy him again. There was something about kicking a small, sleepy woman that just didn't seem right. He strolled out of the hut and stubbed his toe on something next to the door. Reaching down to pick up the metallic object, he realized it was the radio Lisa had been trying to fix, and the perfect punishment for her popped into his mind.

He hurried down the beach until he reached the water's edge, and made sure no one was watching before hurling the radio into the ocean. He smiled sinisterly as he watched it sink. _So much for getting back to the Lux, Leese. You're stuck here now, all mine. _Suddenly he paused. _The Lux. The hit. Oh, my God, the job. My boss is going to kill me when he hears about th- wait a second. I'm stuck here, he can't get to me. No boss, no retribution, no problems. I could stay here forever. In fact, I think I will._

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Joe Reisert leaned back in his chair, wishing there was some news of what had happened to flight 1019. There had been no wreck found, no bodies, just a complete lack of anything. At least if they found it, he could accept his daughter's fate and move on, but this way, he would always wonder if there was some chance that Lisa was alive.

He'd gone to the club to try to get his mind off the whole situation, and was sitting in the lounge having a drink. There were few others in the room, and Joe was beginning to doubt if this had been a good idea. He'd hoped to meet up with somebody he knew and chat, but this had not happened yet. The last thing he'd expected was for another man his age to sit next to him and start up a conversation, yet this was what happened. The man was tall, with glasses perched delicately on his thin nose. Joe thought he looked familiar, but could not place where he knew him from. _Maybe I've just seen him around the club before._

"I hope I'm not intruding, but you seemed like you could use some company." Joe smiled gratefully, glad that he had something other than Lisa to think about. He ordered another drink, and found that there was something soothing about having someone he didn't know to talk to. He didn't need to worry about this man judging him, or feel like he needed to justify his own actions, and ended up telling him about his job, and his divorce, and how he'd been trying to take care of Lisa, and finally about the plane crash. The man, who had introduced himself as Dick Farwell, listened attentively, occasionally offering words of support. When Joe finished his tale of woe, he was shocked when his new friend replied with his own news.

"I know exactly how you feel. I know someone that flight, and I can't stand not knowing where he is or if he's dead or alive or even if he guessed that" he paused for a moment, then continued "he… he is, or was, my son." At this they both broke down, and for several moments just sat there and cried into each other's shoulders'. In the wave of emotion, Joe didn't even acknowledge how odd it was.

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Back on the island, Lisa Reisert was in the process of beating Jackson about the head with a piece of driftwood. She'd emerged from the hut to find her radio gone and Jackson sunning, and had not been at all pleased by his explanation of the equipment's disappearance, hence the beating. She had taken him completely by surprise, so she got a few good shots in before he managed to take her weapon.

"How could you? That might have been our last chance at getting out of here, and you ruined it just to spite me! Jackson, do you realize that you just doomed us all?" She was infuriated by his nonchalance at the situation.

"What do you mean, 'doomed'? I think I just improved a lot of lives, actually."

"How exactly are you figuring that? Unless by 'a lot of lives' you mean your life, which is really not worth keeping all these other people here."

"Come on, look around. Nobody here seems too likely to be missed. I mean, look at that guy in the cowboy hat. Who the hell wears a cowboy hat when they anticipate being in _Miami_? The guy's clearly a complete social reject. And what about your friend, the old lady? She thinks Dr. Phil is _handsome_. I've clearly improved her dating pool by getting her with this bunch, sad as that is. And what about you, Lisa? You can either spend the rest of your life taking orders from snotty tourists, or-" She cut him off here, not wanting him to finish the sentence.

"Or what, Jack? I get to stay here with you, sleeping on an airline pillow, switching between slave and lover of a sociopath, and running around in a coconut bra and a grass skirt while you go on about heirs to the island? I think not. Besides, we don't have much food, and nobody seems to be hunting or- oh, my God, did those two kids ever come back from hunting?" Jackson shrugged, and Lisa completely forgot about their conversation as she dashed off to find people who could go look for the boys. A small group was hastily assembled and set off, and she paced nervously while she waited for them to return, praying nothing had happened to them.

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Meanwhile, from farther down the beach, Jackson watched as Lisa took charge of the rescue mission, them waited for them. He saw her pained expression and hoped that they would find whatever it was they were looking for (he'd completely forgotten- maybe it was a cat or something), so Lisa would be in top form later. He loved their little arguments, and that he could get at her so easily. His thoughts drifted as he mentally replayed their earlier fight. _Hmmm, need to locate some long grass and a coconut, and maybe some string. _He pondered this as he went to go find a snack in their provisions.


	5. Chapter 5

After almost two hours, Lisa heard a rustling in the bushes, and three of the search party members emerged from the woods. She was sure there had been six of them when they left, and ran over to find out what had happened. They all looked at each other nervously for a minute, then finally the man in the cowboy hat who Jackson had earlier mocked spoke up.

"We were going along the path the boys had gone, and we thought it had been an awful long time, so we stopped to rest, and we heard this sound- like huge footsteps. So we did what any self-respecting search party would do. We ran like hell. And we, er, lost a few people on the way." Lisa stared in disbelief.

"You mean you just abandoned them? In the middle of the woods? With what you believed to be a dangerous creature? What if something happens to them- what if they get killed?" None of them responded, and she stormed down the beach to find Jackson. _They won't listen to me, but they might listen to him. In fact, for him, they might go out and rescue those people themselves. _She found him lying on the sand with his feet in the water, looking like a vacationer on any normal beach. He opened his eyes as her frame blocked his light. "Oh, mighty leader, your camp needs you." He smirked at her and stood, dusting sand off the khaki shorts he'd found in somebody's luggage.

"What can I do for you, sweetheart?" He rested his hands on her hips, knowing that she wouldn't pull away if she needed something from him. She flinched, but didn't run away or hit him.

"Jackson, the search party heard something in the woods. They panicked and ran back, and they left three people out there. Plus, the boys are still missing. You need to send them back out. They'll listen to you." She tried to give him her best pleading look.

"Babe, I'd love to help, but I need to do what's best for everybody." She started to back away from him in horror. "I mean, the fewer people we have drinking the clean water and eating the food, the longer we'll last. So in a way, this is a blessing in disguise. Go tell everyone that a memorial service will be held here at sunset, and that the vacant huts are to be used as public gathering areas. The extra pillows and blankets will go to the rest of us. And by the way, Leese, you should spend more time inside- you're starting to burn." He lightly touched her reddened cheeks, and she tore herself away from him and ran to one of the empty huts, trying not to weep.

_How could he do this? They all trust him to keep them safe, and at this point, they're past realizing that he's not going to do that. He'll just keep letting things like this happen until he decides we've hit the right number of people, and I have a sinking feeling that in his mind, that number is two- me and him. And they'll be no one to stop him from doing whatever he wants. And I'll be stuck here, with him, for the rest of my life. _This thought was just too much to bear, and she broke down crying on the makeshift bed.

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Jackson was heading back to the camp to organize the redistribution of bedding when he heard a sob from one of the now-unassigned huts. He ventured in slowly, hoping it wasn't the little girl he'd seen around the camp. He didn't care much for children, and had no desire to have to comfort one right now. Instead, he found Lisa sprawled over the pile of pillows, crying. She didn't seem to have noticed him coming in, and he knelt down beside her before gently stroking her back. She jumped at the touch, and upon seeing who it was, let out a shriek.

"Get away from me! Haven't you done enough? Why can't you just leave me alone?" He saw the fear in her reddened eyes, and resisted the urge to slap her for yelling at him. He gripped her arm lightly, not wanting to scare or hurt her, but wanting to make sure she didn't get away.

"Lisa, you have to understand. I'm doing what's best for everybody here, and you need to accept that. Look around, Leese, nobody seems to think life here is that bad except for you. Even the people who were in the woods today seem to be okay- they're helping move stuff without complaint." She tried to pull her arm back, and he tightened his grip slightly to prevent her from moving.

"They probably have post-traumatic stress disorder, Jackson. They're in shock, and they need psychiatric help. Just because they're not running in circles and screaming doesn't mean that they're okay." He just gazed at her silently for a moment, brushed a tear off her cheek, then let her arm go and slowly stood up.

"Memorial service is at sundown. Get yourself cleaned up and be there. I found something for you to wear- it's in our hut." He left the room, and Lisa tried to process exactly what had just happened. She suddenly felt horribly numb to everything that was going on, and found herself leaving and heading back to the lodging she shared with Jackson, where she located the clothing he'd referred to. It was a pale blue cocktail dress, ruffled at the neck and hem, made of a gauzy fabric. She just stared at it for a moment. _He wants me to wear _this_? To a funeral? Does he have absolutely no respect? _She made up her mind then and there that she was not going. There was no point in going out to the beach wearing a dead woman's party dress to hear Jackson blather on about the greater good. She would just stay here and try to fall asleep before he got back.

Lisa had been asleep for a few hours when Jackson came in, grabbing her shoulder and roughly shaking her awake. She tried to ignore him, but became afraid that he would give her a concussion if she didn't respond soon.

"What do you want? I'm trying to sleep." He finally stopped with the shaking as she sat up and leaned against the wall.

"Where were you? Why didn't you come to the service? Everybody was there except you, and quite frankly, it made you seem petty." He sounded angry, and she debated what the best response was to avoid pain.

"I couldn't go. Not in that." She gestured at the neatly folded outfit on the other side of the room. "It wouldn't be right."

"Leese, you should have come. Nobody there would have cared what you were wearing, and you, who are always oh-so-critical of my leadership style, should've heard the speech I made. These people need guidance and leadership, which I can provide for them. Why are you the only one who doesn't seem to get that?" She turned away from him and tried to get back to sleep, but he got hold of her chin and forced her to face him. "It's ironic, really, that they just bend to my every whim, while you defy everything I do or say." He was practically hissing at her at this point.

"How do you find that ironic? The one you go out of your way to torture hates you? I'd say that's exactly what one would expect to happen."

"No, Leese, that the one who I go out of my way to treat nicely claims to hate me, and does everything in her power to torment me. Even in this room, you have more pillows than anyone else, nicer clothes than anyone else, hell, you're even farthest from the latrine. Show me the torture. Tell me, what exactly is so awful?" She tried to twist away from him, and was horrified when he pulled her back, just staring into her eyes. She felt tears starting to run down her cheeks, and sighed in relief when he let her go, letting her roll to face away from him. As she tried to force herself to sleep, she thought of any possible way to get off this island.


	6. Chapter 6

To give credit where credit is due, the Gillette line is not mine, but was written by my sister, who is a brilliant writer to whom I owe many thanks. Could not resist stealing her line, as it was just the perfect "Jackson-ish" thing to say.

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Jackson woke up to sunlight streaming into the shelter, and felt oddly refreshed after the night's sleep. Lisa was still sleeping soundly next to him, and he decided to go out and start the day before she woke up. _Easier to get things done when she's not second-guessing me and trying to start mutinies. Is it called a mutiny on an island? Might just be an uprising. Either way, she's not starting one. _He left the hut and found some of the others already making breakfast, which looked a hell of a lot like yesterday's breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. He was planning how to get more food when the doctor, who had been a constant thorn in everyone's sides, stormed angrily over to him.

"I would very much like to know how I have a… a… Persian rug hanging from my face, and you look like you just walked out of a Gillette commercial!" He was gesturing wildly at his now-scraggly facial hair.

"Good breeding, I guess." Jackson replied as coolly as he possibly could, flashed the man a grin, then headed off, leaving the doctor dumbstruck. He climbed onto the rock that had become his podium and whistled for the group's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we are tired of eating nothing but peanuts, pretzels, and those berries that you all kept eating even when they made you sick. I propose that we end this food shortage now by organizing a hunt. We can make ourselves spears, and the fittest among us will go into those woods until we either find something to feed the group or scour the whole island and are _completely_ sure that there is nothing in those woods."

"What if we get tired? Or bored?" The man in the cowboy hat had spoken up, and Jackson sighed, trying not to roll his eyes.

"If any man gets tired or bored and decided to leave the hunt, he will be left behind." He paused for dramatic effect, and the man in the hat spoke up again.

"But how are we going to get back to the camp? It'll be a long walk."

"I don't expect you to get back to the camp." A few people giggled, and Jackson shot a glare in their general direction. He had not been joking at all, and laughter would undermine his authority. "Any man who leaves the group will be exiled from our tribe and left to fend for himself. If he is killed, it'll be his own fault." There was no laughter now, just nervous glances back and forth among the crowd. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Go make spears!" They scurried off to follow the order.

Checking their progress, Jackson noticed that two men had already made significant progress in the stick-sharpening endeavor, and went to see how they'd worked so fast. The minute he heard their answer, he went into a rage.

"Limbo sticks? We are trapped on a godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere and you were making poles to hold up _limbo sticks_?" He grabbed one of the poles and rapped the man sharply across the knuckles with it, then went to go make sure people were actually preparing for a hunt and not a five-year-old's birthday party.

By the time the group was ready to go, they had five people and seven sticks, all of which had been sharpened until Jackson had deemed them finished. Before heading off he found the old lady, whose name, he'd learned, was Angie.

"I need you to do me a favor. While I'm on the hunt, look after Lisa for me. She's asleep in our tent, and I want you to make sure she's not too worried when she hears where we've gone. She's a fragile girl, and the last thing we need is her having a breakdown on us." He tried to make this woman think of Lisa as one of those women who spent all day staring out the window waiting for her husband to come home, although Lisa probably would have stabbed him with one of the spears if she got the chance. Still, he could get this lady to keep her from turning the others against him if he made her sound hysterical. Satisfied that she would follow his instructions, he led the group into the woods.

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Lisa had been upset to hear that a group had headed into the woods again, but was relieved to be rid of Jackson for at least a few hours. She took the opportunity to have a decent bath now that she was convinced he wouldn't be watching, and found a change of clothes for herself. He'd tried to get her clothes even before the cocktail dress, but they'd all been far too revealing for her comfort, so she'd stayed in her skirt and top from the flight. She took her time in the water, letting herself relax and temporarily forget the situation. The beach was actually quite nice, and the water was refreshingly cool. _If someone found this place, the first thing to go up would be a hotel. People would flock here._ When she felt herself starting to get sunburned she headed back to the camp, and was shocked by what she found there.

Jackson was kneeling in the sand, covered in blood from the pig he was butchering. She had no idea where he'd gotten a knife, or even how he knew how to do this, but was grateful for the fact that no one else had gotten lost and they had something new to eat. She watched silently, disgusted but unable to look away. When he finished, he ordered one of his hunters to dispose of the inedible parts of the pig while another hauled the meat to the pit where they lit fires at night. Then he stood and approached her.

"So, Leese, what do you think? We'll eat well tonight." She remained silent, not sure how to respond. "Leese? This is the part where you swoon into my arms with a 'my hero!' or at least offer a 'well done, Jack, we won't all starve.'"

"Go clean yourself off." She saw a look of surprise cross his face, and he didn't move. "Go on. You're covered in blood- it's disgusting."

"Come with me, Leese." She guessed that her horror showed on her face, as he quickly clarified. "I don't mean that in a perverted way. I mean that I want you to see the injuries I got today trying to feed you ungrateful people." She didn't budge. If he thought she was going to be alone with him out in the middle of nowhere while he took his clothes off, he was clearly insane. He reached for her arm, and she fled back to the beach.

He returned a while later, clean and in new clothes, and directed the people in charge of food as they made a spit to cook the meat on. He had not told anyone that the rotisserie was actually the limbo setup from earlier, but Lisa recognized it. She was sitting off to the side with the young girl who'd been flying by herself. Rebecca was still young, and in all his assigning tasks, Jackson had failed to tell anyone to care for the child. Lisa had taken the task upon herself, and was trying to convince her that they would be rescued soon. She noticed that Rebecca tensed whenever Jackson came near them, and asked her about it.

"He's always saying how he's going to leave people in the woods and let us starve and how he has the right to punish people, and I don't want him to leave me here." Her eyes were brimming with tears, and Lisa hugged the girl, trying to comfort her. Suddenly Lisa heard an unmistakable voice above her.

"Good going, Leese. Ignore the cooking and the guard duty and just get in touch with your maternal side. It's not like there's anything else you should be doing." Lisa fought the urge to slam a rock onto his foot, and instead gave him the sweetest, most innocent look she could muster.

"Well, sweetie, I'm just practicing for when I need to take care of the heir to the island. Or did you change your mind on that?" She tried not to laugh as she looked up at him. _I just completely blew his mind._ He did look shocked, and his brain was clearly still trying to process what she'd just said. Finally, he gave her a lewd wink.

"I'll hold you to it, Leese. Just need to finish providing for the extended family here. Why don't you and the littleun come have some dinner?"


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry it took so long to update. My internet went down, and just got fixed about a half hour ago. Let me know what you guys think of thos chapter!

Throughout dinner, Lisa racked her brain, trying to think of where she'd heard that phrase before. It sounded so familiar, and for some reason she doubted that it was from a guest. _The littleun. He doesn't have an accent, so it's not just an inflection- he said it deliberately. __Could it be something to do with the Keefes? No, he seems to have forgotten about them. Something from the time he was stalking me? No, most people I talk to would just say 'kid.' _She was lost in thought and staring absently at the fire, when suddenly it hit her. _Pig on a stick- Lord of the Flies. Oh my God, that's what they call the younger boys in Lord of the Flies. Why the hell would he say that? Unless the irony of an aggressive, militaristic leader named Jack isn't lost on him. _

She diverted her attention from the fire and looked to Jackson. He was sitting on a rock, talking to some of the men from the hunting expedition earlier in the day. They were laughing and one man seemed to be reenacting the hunt with his plastic fork. She shuddered at the thought of them killing the pig, not wanting to think about what they'd had to do. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't hungry anymore, and she said goodnight to Rebecca before heading back to the hut. She'd learned from a nap the day before that it was pointless to sleep in another shelter, as Jackson just found her and carried her back to theirs. The thought of that disturbed her. He would have had to carry her across the camp, in front of all those people, with them all looking sympathetically at this poor man whose lover had passed out from exhaustion and worry and now had to be brought home. She hated how they immediately sided with him. He could have her tied to a tree and be beating her with a stick, and their only thoughts would be 'what did she do to make our beloved leader so angry?' She looked through the room for anything he'd been hiding, still hoping there was some kind of communication equipment, but all she found were liquor bottles (some full, some empty) and the watch he'd been wearing on the plane. It had stopped, but she guessed he had some hope of having it repaired. _So he does intend to go back home at some point. _

She made sure to lie down in the direct center of the bed, positioning herself so she left almost no room for him and hoping he would take the hint, although she knew he probably wouldn't. Wrapping the blankets tightly around herself, Lisa tried to go to sleep. After a long time of lying awake, she did drift off, until she was woken up by a sharp pain in her foot. She yelped and curled her legs in.

"Oh, God, Leese, I didn't realize you were right there. Sorry." Jackson must have stepped on her in the dark, and was kneeling, reaching for her foot. She let him get hold of it, and he gently moved each toe, then bent her foot back and forth, asking if it hurt. There was some pain, but it wasn't broken, so he let her go and went about his nightly routine. He'd found his own luggage, ensuring a clean toothbrush and a reasonably sharp razor, and made sure to take care of himself, telling Lisa that a clean, groomed leader inspired confidence. She doubted this, but didn't start an argument. When he'd finished, he crawled into bed next to her, lifting the arm that had been in the way and nudging her leg to her side of the bed with his knee. Once he'd settled in and wrested some blankets from her, he leaned in, way too close for Lisa's comfort.

"So, what do you say I take you up on our earlier discussion? The one about heirs?" She wanted badly to stab him, or shove him into the cooking fire, but chose a slightly less gory route that would not end in the other survivors ritually sacrificing her.

"I'd love to, Jack, except that I don't want to… you know… do anything with you until we're married. I'm very religious." She actually couldn't remember the last time she'd been to church or even thought about religion, but anything that would keep him away from her for a while worked. After all, no one had given their occupation as 'clergy,' so the likelihood of him being able to change the situation was not high.

"I'll ask around tomorrow, Leese. Someone's bound to at least be one of those internet ministers, and we can get married quickly. Besides, what little girl doesn't want to be an island queen? You'll get to live out a childhood fantasy."

"Since when are you 'king' of the island? I thought your title was just generic 'leader.' Who decided we were having a monarchy?"

"I decided. That's the point of a monarchy, Leese. I make the decisions, and my subjects follow them." Lisa was terrified by how serious he was. He honestly intended to just command everything that went on, and didn't see a problem with that.

"Jackson, you can't do this. Don't you see how wrong this is? You'll end up just hurting everybody, including yourself. Please, please don't. You can be in charge and still let other people help you make decisions. Didn't you learn history? Haven't you seen what happens in dictatorships?" Suddenly his eyes turned icy, and Lisa feared she'd gone too far. She wanted to convince him she was right, and she doubted that having him strangle her would accomplish that. "I…I'm sorry… I didn't mean..." She tried to calm him down, but he shoved her backward, pinning her shoulders to the pillows that served as a mattress.

"Don't, Leese. After all, it really doesn't matter what you say. I am going to do what I want, and there's nothing you can do about it. So why don't you just stay here tomorrow and stay out of trouble while I run this place." He let her go, and she rolled over, lying on her side for a few minutes before angrily standing up and leaving the shelter. She'd made it as far as the common area before he caught up to her, roughly grabbing both her arms and yanking her back towards him.

"Let go of me!" She shrieked it as loud as she could, hoping to wake people up and attract attention. "I don't want to be your wife, and I don't want to have your children, and I don't want to be part of your little 'perfect island community' just let me go!" By now people had heard her, and were starting to come out of their tents to see what was happening outside.

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"Lisa, don't be ridiculous. It's dangerous out there; you can't just go live in the wild." He was acutely aware of the audience that was gathering, and wanted to shut Lisa up and get her back inside before she caused major problems. "Come on, baby, you've just had a little too much to drink." He sighed inwardly, relieved, as people started to look a little more understanding and sympathetic.

"I am not drunk! I am upset, because you are a psychopath!" She tried to kick him, but he avoided the blow and pulled her up against him. He felt her attempting to get away and shifted one hand off her wrist and into her hair, looking romantic for the people gathered around, but actually holding her in place by the back of her head.

"Let's get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning." He turned to the assembled group "Does anyone have aspirin? She's going to have a killer headache tomorrow morning." Somebody ran back to their hut and brought back a bottle of pills, and Jackson thanked them before half-dragging, half-carrying a sobbing Lisa back to their home.

Once they arrived, he threw her down onto their bed, yanking a blanket over her before rummaging through his suitcase. He came back with a necktie and bound her hands to one of the slabs that made up the walls. She looked horrified, and he decided to add to that by leaning over and giving her a goodnight kiss before settling into bed himself. She made a little whimpering noise.

"I didn't want to do this, Leese, but you forced my hand. If you can be a good girl tomorrow, maybe I'll reconsider, and let you help me with the governing. That sound good, sweetheart?" She didn't respond, and he guessed she was just blocking him out at this point.

As he waited for sleep to come, Jackson thought about everything that had happened. There had been some part of him that had gotten quite excited when she'd brought up children earlier, and then marriage tonight. He didn't particularly want to be a husband or a father, but to have someone bound to him like that was appealing. She would be his, officially, and no one could change that. _It would be a hell of a lot easier to just get a cat. Probably would scratch me less, too. Ah, well, there are no cats around here, so I'll make do with the girl. _His thoughts shifted to her foot. When he'd been checking if it was broken, he'd been astounded by how soft her skin was, even after walking around on the sand. _Takes good care of herself. That's a good sign. I could convince her to take care of me. _He ran a hand along her side, feeling her moving as she breathed. _My Lisa. You'll make a good wife yet._


	8. Chapter 8

Lisa woke up to Jackson shaking her, and immediately kicked in the direction she figured he'd be in. She missed, but felt his hand clamp around her ankle as he yanked her out of bed and onto the sandy ground.

"Come on, Leese, rise and shine. We've got a big day today." She debated asking him what he meant, but was too scared of what the reply might be to actually ask. "I've been talking with some of the people around, and it turns out that that kid with the headphones _is_ actually one of those internet ministers, so we're all set." She stared at him in awe for a moment before responding.

"Did you miss all of last night? I don't want you, I don't love you, hell, I don't even like you! So please get it through your head that I am not marrying you."

"That's a shame, Leese, because that means that you'll have to go with the alternative. The new punishment for defying the leader is quite severe." Lisa felt her heart beat faster as she contemplated all the things he possibly could have come up with.

"What, you're having people build cages to act as a jail?" _Why does my voice have to shake so much? It's not helping the brave act. _

"Oh, no. Even better, actually. I found a cliff with sharp rocks at the bottom. Guess what the new punishment is." She stared in shock, unsure of what to say.

"You…you… honestly intend to shove people off a cliff if they don't listen to you? Please just take a moment to realise how insane this is."

"I don't just intend to; I already did. You missed that doctor who tried to attack me with a spear this morning's execution. More's the pity, really- now we need to train someone else in medicine. So, what's your choice? Comfy life as queen of the island, or painful death by rock?" He looked like he was actually enjoying watching her squirm, and Lisa found herself praying for some act of God that would result in his immediate death. He had let go of her ankle, but gotten hold of her shoulders and was holding her in an iron grip, not allowing her to even sit up.

"I need time to think." Had been the first thing to come to her mind, and she hoped that he would at least give her a little time to think of a better way to escape him.

"But sweetie, you yourself said yesterday that you wanted this. So there's really not much to think about, is there? Unless of course, you've changed your mind, in which case just let me know, 'cause that cliff is a few miles away and I want to be back by lunchtime." She remained silent. _He can't do anything if I don't answer him. _"Leese, come on, we haven't got all day. I have an island to run."


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the interminable wait, but I've been super-busy, and then saw a commercial for Lost and had that "oh my god, I need to finish my fic!" moment. Again, sorry and enjoy! (BTW, they're still not mine)

P.S. Fun little game- spot the line from the original movie! (note: one word is changed)

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Jackson loomed over Lisa in what he hoped was a threatening manner, waiting for her answer and hoping she wouldn't try to be all "noble." After all, he'd hate having to wreck that pretty face on a rock, and would much prefer having her be his property. She hadn't answered after a few minutes, so he sat down, figuring he could just stare at her until she gave him a response for the sake of making him go away. He had not been expecting her to leap up and run, but that was exactly what she did.

They were both fast runners, but he caught up with her and tackled her halfway down the beach. A group of their fellow islanders were standing nearby, but chose to ignore their beloved leader as he fought viciously against the smaller, weaker woman he'd pinned to the ground.

"I take it you picked death, Leese? More's the pity- I was really looking forward to our wedding. Ah, well, can't win 'em all." He ignored her screams, picked her up, flung her over his shoulder, and was beginning his walk towards the woods when he heard an unfamiliar sound that caused him to stop in his tracks and look up. Even Lisa stopped shrieking.

"Oh my God. Is that a helicopter?" He barely registered her words as he realised with horror that that was indeed a helicopter. _Oh, shit. Just when I'd finally civilised these people and come up with a decent law enforcement system. My only hope is that this is some kind of Bermuda Triangle and the helicopter will crash too. _Alas, he was incorrect, and the vehicle came to a safe landing on the beach amid the awed islanders.

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Lisa restrained herself from whooping with joy at the sight of the rescuers. She easily slid from the stunned Jackson's arms and ran to join the other castaways who were greeting the search team and trying to explain the situation.

"What took you so long?" The old woman was repeating her question to just about everyone she could find. "We've been here for months!"

"Ma'am, it's been less than a week. We didn't even know there was land here, so we ended up having to search practically the whole Gulf. Convenient that there's this island here, though, or you all would have been doomed. Frankly, I'm impressed that you all managed to survive as well as you did." Lisa expected Jack to come forward and take credit for the success, but all she saw was a quick glimpse of a dishevelled young man slinking towards the rescue copter with the rest of the group. She suppressed a grin. _Lord of the Flies comes back to haunt him after all. Poor little Jack, reduced to a pathetic, broken member of the crowd._

As soon as they'd arrived in Miami, Lisa phoned her father, who nearly fainted from the shock of hearing from her again. He'd promised to come pick her up right away, and mentioned that he was bringing someone special. _Probably Mom, she'd want to see me and would have come to keep him company while I was gone. _

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"Yes, but you may have noticed that I was lost on a fucking island, so I really couldn't have set it up. What did you want me to use, a coconut radio?" Jackson paused to let his boss speak, then continued his rant. "I was not on vacation; I was trying not to be eaten by a lion or a polar bear or something. Listen, I will explain what happened to the client and fix the situation. Just give me one day; you'll be very happy, I promise." He hung up the phone and stalked over to Lisa, who was sitting on a bench, probably waiting for her father. He took a seat next to her and tried to sound as non-threatening as possible.

"Leese, if it's any consolation, I probably wasn't going to throw you over that cliff." She turned to stare at him in disbelief.

"Probably? You mean you _probably_ wouldn't have killed me?" Her disgust showed through in her voice, and she stood up to walk away. Jackson stood with her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her close, kissing her intensely. He had roughly a nanosecond to enjoy the kiss before she slapped him across the face with all her strength, yanking herself away from him. "Pervert! Get away from me!" She stormed off, banging right into her father on the way. "Daddy!" She flung her arms around him, glad to see him safe and healthy, though noticeably worried.

"Lisa, honey, it's so good to see you. I want you to meet someone. This is Dick Farwell, he's… well, this may come as a shock to you, sweetie, but Dick is my lover." Lisa felt her jaw drop. She was trying to decide how to respond when she heard a voice behind her.

"What the hell are you doing here? The boss just called saying you've been missing for a week!" She turned and found Jackson behind her, his rant directed at the man who was now holding her father's hand.

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At the airport restaurant, Jackson had tried to wrap his brain around everything that was happening. The crash, the island, the rescue, Dick being his real father, Dick being Joe Reisert's new boyfriend, needing to fix things with the client by himself, and now needing some way to get home. It was overwhelming, and he decided that that was why he'd agreed to spend the night at Joe's house with the rest of the group when Dick invited him. Lisa had been clearly distressed, but her father had told her something about family unity, and she'd resolved to simply triple-bolt her bedroom door. She had, as he'd learned later, and she'd made her discomfort around him clear until he'd left.

Now he watched her from across the hotel ballroom, noting that every now and then she would glance his way, probably making sure he wasn't planning a takeover of the party. He gave her a grin and a little wave, making her blush and turn away. _Oh, my Lisa, always the shy one. _He made his way over to her, sneaking up so she wouldn't have a chance to run away from him.

"Nice party, eh, Leese? I've actually never been to Canada before, but it's not bad. The snow's pretty, especially for us Miami folk who don't see it too often."

"Jackson, what do you want? Just come out and say it because quite frankly, I have no desire to make small talk with you." He started to speak, and Lisa quickly amended her request. "And remember that we're step-siblings now, so you can't make a move on me." _Damn, how does she read my mind like that? _

"I just don't want things to be awkward between us. After all, we are related. Maybe we can just forget the whole island thing ever happened. You know, start over."

"Maybe one day I will forgive you for trying to kill me and my father, but it won't be anytime soon. So why don't you just stay away from me, and I'll call you when I'm ready to talk." She then strode off to go talk to her father and his new spouse, leaving Jackson standing alone in the hallway.

Jackson decided that he'd live longer if he respected her request, so he didn't approach her again, merely checking in every now and then through their fathers, but he did keep his phone on him at all times. He knew he shouldn't expect her to call on her own, but figured she might when she heard about the construction of the new Lux Gulf hotel, which was being built on a small island between Dallas and Miami and was being managed by one Jackson Rippner.


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